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Later that day: And the girls decided to spend some time together. They all met up at Britney’s and pigged out on pepperoni pizza, chili cheese fries, and jalapeño poppers. Cheryl glanced at the pizza and gave a tiny smile as she remembered the time she spent with Marcus earlier.

“What are you smiling about?” Riana asked.

“Nothing, just something that happened today.”

“You mind sharing?” Britney asked while grabbing a slice of pizza.

“I spent some time with Marcus.”

Monica dropped her pizza on her plate, while Riana and Britney each raised their eyebrow.

“What?” Britney asked.

“It’s not what you all think. Chris has been talking to him since the incident and he asked me to go by his place to check on him. He’s in a really bad place, so I’ll do what I can to help him.”

Riana stared at her cousin, not sure what to say. “You sure you want to do that?”

“Okay, so it may seemed kind of déjà vu, but I don’t see what the big issue is.”

“It’s not one, but just be careful, Cher.” Riana said.

“Don’t worry cuz, nothing will happen. I can control my hormones.”

She rolled her eyes while Cheryl smiled.

“Besides, I’ve been where he is right now, so I think it will be good for him to have someone in his corner.”

“Hopefully you can convince him to talk to Shawn. I know things are still crazy between them too, but someone needs to get the ball rolling for them to talk again.” Riana said.

“I agree and I’ll try if I can.” Cheryl replied. She realized what Riana said and stared at her.

“Wait, how are you to say about Shawn and Marcus talking when you’re not even speaking to Shawn.”

“That is where you’re wrong, dear cousin. We kind of reconcile today.”

“Wait, back up? Seriously!” Monica exclaimed.

“Yeah. It led to a kiss at the lounge and then an afternoon of hot, sweaty make-up sex.”

“I’m still on the part that you two are even speaking again. I think it’s great, Ri.” Cheryl said.

“I agree. Finally, you two are back together. Just don’t fuck it up again.” Britney added.

“That won’t happen. I love him too much for that.”

The girls smiled at Riana’s happiness.

“I knew something was up; you’re glowing too much. He must had really put it on you good.” Monica said.

“It’s not just that; I just missed being around him. The way he makes me laugh and smile. I can’t see myself without him.”

“Aww.” The girls said.

“There is one thing though. What about Dominique?” Britney asked.

“And Terrance?” Cheryl added.

“Terrance wasn’t really a factor; as for Dominique, that’s another issue.”

“What do you mean?”

“Shawn and I agreed not to go public yet, not until the pledging period is over.”

“Why?” Monica asked.

“Because I need to know if GZG doesn’t haze their pledgees.”

“Ri, I was just making a suggestion about that; I wasn’t being serious.” Cheryl said.

“I know, but in order for me to really know, I have to continue in the pledging process. Now that I received an invite, I can.”

“You are really serious about this?”

“Yeah, I am. Even though Shawn tried to talk me out of it, I convinced him otherwise.”

“I bet.” Cheryl said with a smile.

“Anyway, I asked him to continue dating Dominique until it’s over.”

“Are you crazy?” Monica asked.

“No, just thinking logically. If Shawn breaks up with her, she will definitely come after both Cheryl and me and possibly even Shawn. I can’t risk that.”

“So what will happen after the pledge period is over and he breaks up with her? That can happen then too.” Britney said.

“I know; hopefully we can think up another solution.”

“Hopefully you can think logically about this, because it might backfire on you.” Monica said.

“Believe me, I am.”

Monica looked at Britney, who had an unsure look on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m sleeping with my teacher.”

The three looked at Britney with shock glances.

“What?” Monica asked.

“Technically, he’s the TA, but he’s still part of the staff. He’s taking over for Professor Graves.”

“Oh, Mr. Parker. Damn girl, he’s fine as hell.” Monica said.

“I know.” Britney agreed and smiled. “We had something going on before I knew he was going to teach the class. I tried to end it, but I really like him.”

“I know, and trust me, I’m not trying to get kicked out of school, but what if I can continue with my studies and still be with Jackie? We can keep things under wraps.”

“Yeah, but for how long? Eventually, someone is going to slip up.” Cheryl said.

Britney glanced at everyone and sighed. “I really hope not.”

***
The next day and Cheryl was ready to show Marcus her surprise, but she had to do it quick since the sisters of GZG texted her, informing her she had to be at the lounge in an hour for her first pledge assignment. Whatever it was, she wasn’t looking forward to it, but she wanted to join, so she had to do what she could to make the sisters happy.

Even if Dominique a part of it.She thought as she approached Marcus’ doorstep.

She started to become excited as she ring the doorbell. The door opened, revealing Marcus, who gave a smile.

“Hey.”

“Hi. Are you ready for my surprise?”

“I guess so. How should I be prepared for this?”

“You don’t have to do anything. Just look forward to what I’m going to show you.” She said.

Marcus grinned and locked the door behind him. She grabbed his hand and the two went to her car. After getting in, Cheryl headed to the destination. They ended up near an open field. Marcus glanced at her, not sure to think as she put the car in park.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“You’re see.” She said, giving a huge smile.

The two got out of the car and Marcus followed Cheryl. She led him to a trail which led to a huge boulder. She looked at him before speaking.

“My therapist told me the best way to release stress and aggression is by yelling it out. At first, I thought she was nuts, but it does help. She told me about this place near campus and suggested coming early that way I won’t scare off any joggers or walkers who come up here.”

“There are some people here.” Marcus said while looking around.

“Not as many compared to later. Anyway, I thought maybe you would like to test out that theory and see if it helps you.”

He looked ahead and noticed the university in front of him. With everything that has happened to him, from getting with Riana, to the fights he had with Shawn, to the incident at the bar, to even the problems he faced with Dominique, he figured a yell or two couldn’t hurt.

He gave a huge roar from within, which made Cheryl take a step back and stare at him. He continued to yell, releasing all the pain and aggression she sure he had in him. She knew this probably wouldn’t help much, but at least it was a step in the right direction.

He stepped back and smiled. “Wow, that actually did help a little.”

“I told you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. If you need to release some anger, just come up here to yell, scream, or even look at the view. As you can see, the university is right in front of us.”

“Yeah, I noticed that when we came up here.”

“I wish I could stay longer, but my first pledge assignment starts in 30 minutes, so I need to be prepared for what they have in store.”

“Sure. I really appreciate this, Cheryl.”

“No problem. In fact, I was thinking we could hang out again later? Chris is working later and the girls have plans, so I could come by, maybe share another pizza.”

“Cheryl…”

“I’m not taking no for an answer. And this time, it’ll be my treat.” She winked.

Marcus looked at her. “Sure.”

“I should drop you back off at your place.” Cheryl said.

She was about to walk when she tripped over a branch. Before she almost fell, Marcus caught her. He held her while she stared into his hazel eyes. She never knew how gorgeous they were, especially in the sunlight. A sense of nervousness went through her as his hand touched her shoulder.

“Damn branch, but I’ve always been kind of clumsy.” She whispered while continuing to stare.

“Good thing I was here then.” Marcus replied.

He let go of her and she straightened her shirt. She gave him a nervous smile before walking ahead to her car.

She realized then that Riana was right. She definitely need to be careful.

***
Monica walked out her college algebra class with all smiles. She couldn’t believe she received an A on her assignment. She definitely had to thank Chris for helping her with the assignment.

She was heading to the quad when she saw Chris walking towards her. She quickly went to him and gave him a hug. He was stunned by her reaction as he stared at her.

“What’s with the hug?”

“I had to say thank you for helping me with my assignment. I got an A!”

“Wow, congrats.”

“Thanks. I couldn’t had done it without you.”

“I’m glad I was able to help.”

“Let me take you out? As a thank you, of course.”

“You don’t have to. I was just helping a friend.”

“I know, but it’s not often that I receive an A on a math assignment.”

“Well, if you insist, how about buying me a cup of coffee. I kind of need one right now.”

“Okay. Long night?”

“Sort of. I had to work and then study for a chem. test afterwards.”

“I know that was brutal.”

“Tell me about it. I probably failed it since I was half asleep during the test.”

“Since you working and taking classes, how do you find the time to spend with Cheryl?”

“We sort of find the time. I know now that she’s going to start the pledging process, we’ll probably spend even less time with each other, but she’s really excited over this, so I won’t stand in her way. What about you and Donnell?”

“We’re still trying, but I wonder now should we even try working things out? We have been through so much and trying to see if things will work is starting to become exhausting.”

“If it’s worth fighting for, then you should continue to do it. No one said being in a relationship was easy.”

“I know, but is it worth the trouble if you’re tired of doing it?”

Chris glanced at Monica.

“That’s something you should ask yourself.”

Monica sighed. “You know, there was a time that we were kind of close.”

Chris smiled. “Yeah, I remember. I tried to talk to you, but didn’t realize you were already taken.”

“Yeah. I kind of wondered how things would have been between us. Do you?”

Chris continued to look at her. There were times when he did have thoughts about her. Even though he loves Cheryl, he wondered how things would have been if him and Monica had actually dated.

“Yeah, sometimes I do.”

She smiled. “Let’s go get you that cup of coffee.”

Chris nodded and followed her to the lounge, wondering what the hell he just do.

***
Riana walked into the lounge to start her pledge assignment. She searched around to see if Cheryl arrived when she saw Shawn sitting at a booth near the window. She gave a tiny smile, in which he returned. Before arriving there, the two spent some time going over how they will act in public. They agreed not speak to each other, especially when Dominique is present.

Her phone beeped, which she knew it was a text. She checked the message and saw it was from Shawn. It read “I love you”, which made her smile.

“No cell phones Pledge #4.”

She turned around and saw Dominique standing behind her.

“Sorry, big sister Morris.”

She smirked as she walked over to the pledge group. Cheryl ran over to Riana and gave an apologetic look.

“Where have you been?” Riana whispered.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“And where have you been Pledge #5? You supposed to had been here five minutes ago.” Dominique asked Cheryl.

“Sorry, big sister Morris. I fell behind schedule.”

“That’s not acceptable. Sing the alphabet while doing jumping jacks. And if you mess up, you will have to start over.”

Cheryl looked at Dominique as if she lost her mind.

“You heard me. Would you rather do that, or get on the floor and bark like a dog?”

Several people near the group began to snicker. Cheryl was about to say something when Riana gave her a look that read “don’t do it”. Instead, she gave a forced smile, went to the center of the lounge and began to do what Dominique asked. The sisters and her began to laugh, which made Riana irritated. She glanced over at Shawn who shook his head with disgust.

“Now, while Pledge #5 does her punishment, why do we get down to the assignment, which I believe will be a lot of fun, if I do say so myself. Pledgees, since we are close with Omega Si, we would like for you all to get to know them as well; so we will be pairing you with one of their pledges to do a little experiment with.”

One of the sisters walked to the girls with two bowls of strawberries and whipped cream. Riana glanced at them, wondering what the hell was going on.

“We call this experiment, french kiss.You and the person that you will be paired with have to share a strawberry. Once you are able to do that, you have to test to see how long it will take for you and your partner to kiss. Now, first one up is Pledge #4.”

Riana sighed and walked over to the center. She quickly looked at Cheryl, who was still doing jumping jacks and reciting the alphabet.

“Now, let’s see who #4’s partner is. I know, how about the president himself. Come on, Terrance.” She announced while grinning.

Riana closed her eyes, wondering how this could be happening. She looked over at Shawn, who already had a pissed off expression.

“I know you two had been pretty cozy lately, so this assignment should be a breeze for you.”

“I bet.” Riana muttered.

Terrance smiled. “You ready to show everyone how it’s done?”

Riana gave a nervous expression. She really didn’t want Shawn to witness this, because he would definitely want to punch Terrance and their cover would be blown.

She stepped closer to him, who already had a strawberry dripped with cream in his hand. She glanced from him to Shawn when an idea popped into her head.

She began coughing, which made Dominique annoyed.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this. I must have choked on my gum or something.” She began to cough again.

“Seriously?” Dominique inquired.

Riana covered her mouth. She glanced at Shawn from the corner of her eye, who had a huge grin on his face.

“Fine, since #4 can’t do it, let’s move on to the next pledgee.”

She winked at him before going back to the other pledges. Now, if she could get through the next assignments, then she would be home free.